Stone grapple



G. H. MILLER STONE GRAPPLE July 30, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 29, 1961 INVENTOR. GARRETT H. MuLLER wndndsdmi Hnrncys m-lilllllllllI-iln July 30, 1963 G. H. MILLER STONE GRAPPLE Filed May 29. 1961 July 30, 1963 G. H. MILLER 3,099,475

STONE GRAPPLE Filed May 29, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR GARRETT H. MlLLER BY XM wwdwfswgww AH'orngyS United States Patent 3,699,476 STNE GRAPPLE Garrett H. Miller, Box 173, Linden, 1nd. Filed May 29, 1961, Ser. No. 113,477 6 Claims. (Cl. 294-112) The present invention relates to an improved grapple which Ifinds an important utility in the lifting and moving of large blocks of stone from place to place although usable in the transporting of other objects.

It is the present practice in the quarrying of stone such as `limestone and the like, touse chain arrangements which surround the blocks of stone for the purpose of lifting and moving the stone from the quarry. lt can be appreciated that such a procedure necessitates the use of numerous wed-ges in order to separate the stone block sufficiently from .the unquarried stone in order to permit the placing of the chains. Furthermore, this procedure necessitates the work of a relatively large crew of men. Another procedure used in lifting 'and moving stones requi-res that a pair of hooks tbe seated on the opposite faces of a block of stone within suitable indentations formed therein. Ilt can be appreciated that it is necessary for a man to form .these indentations prior to the lifting and carrying of the stone by the hooks. Consequently, it is one object of the present invention to provide a grapple permitting `an improved procedure for the lifting and transporting of stone.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a grapple which permits easier, faster and less expensive lifting and moving of stone as well Aas other objects.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a grapple operable in such a manner as to relieve a man or manpower from adjusting and positioning the grapple when lifting a block of stone or the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a grapple constructed to provide an intense gripping action .at the bottom of the jaws thereof for lifting blocks of stone having relatively little height.

Stil-l a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved grapple cap-able of exerting an intense gripping action -muoh greater than the weight of the object Abeing lifted.

Further Iobjects and Iadvantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and Ithe following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation o-f a grapple constructed according .to .the present invention showing the jaws of the grapple in open position.

FIG. 2 is .a horizontal lsection taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. l in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is .a generally horizont-al -section taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

'FlG. `4 is a vertical end elevation of the structure illustrated in SFIG. l taken from the left side thereof.

lFIG. 5 is a side elevation similar to PIG. l but showing the grapple engaging and lifting a block of stone.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 5 |but showing the grapple in a different operating position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a grapple comprising two pairs of outwardly and downwardly extending 4arms 10l and 11. Each pair o-f arms 10 and 11 is pivoted upon .a shaft 12 which also provides a rotatable mounting for four pulleys "15, 16, 17 and 18. These pulleys .are provided with .a guiding and spacing device 20 which comprises bolts or rivets 21 fixing together spacers v22 and separators 25. These separators 25 -are provided with suitably aligned ibores pero the means yfor closing the n3,099,476 Patented duly 30, 1963 lCC 2 mitting the pivotal mounting of the arrangement 20 upon the shaft i12.

vOn each end of the shaft 12, there is fixed a guiding `device 26 and 27 adapted to guide a vertical member 30 and 31. Each of the guiding devices includes Aa horizon- .tally extending member l32 rixed to the shaft i12 and a pair of screws or rivets 35 fixed to the horizontal element 32 and having heads adapted to retain the vertical members 30 and 31 within the thus formed guiding passage. lt can :be appreciated that as the vertical elements 30 and 31 move upwardly and Idownwardly 'with relation to the shaft 12, they will be guided `and retained at the axis of the shaft.

Intermediately of each of the arms l@ .and 1|1, there is pivoted at 36 and 37 a connecting rod it()i and 41 thus providing four connecting rods in all, one for each of the arms 1@ and 1-1. rIhe connecting rods `40 and 41 extend inwardly and Adownwardly `from their pivotal connection 316 and 37 to a pivotal connection with the opposite ends of linking elements 42. Each linking element y4t2 includes a pair of members 43 which are fixed together by welding or the like and by means of the vertically extending elements 30 and 31 whereby the linking elements ft2 form with each of the Vertical elements an inverted T-shaped structure.

Each of .the vertical elements 30 and 31 is connected together at its uppermost portion by .a horizontal niember d5 xedly secured to the vertical elements and provided with an aperture 46 adapting the horizontal member 45 `for attachment to a rope or chain such 'as 47 of tFlG. 5. It can be vappreciated that when the jaws are together or relatively `so as in FIG. 5, Ithey may be separated and moved to the position of FIG. l by a force acting upwardly on the horizontal member 45 causing the horizontal linking elements 42 lto also be moved upwardly -as in FlG. l and further causing the pivotal connections 3d and 37 of the connecting members 40 Aand 41 with the arms 10' and 11 to be moved outwardly, thus causing the arms and 4the jaws to the spread apart. As mentioned, each of .the vertical members 30 and 31 will remain in alignment with the axis of the shaft 12 under the action of guiding devices `26y yand y27.

It should be understood that the above described means for separating the jaws does not :operate independently of jaws, but instead the closing or the opening of the jaws depends upon the relative amount of force exerted upwardly on the horizontal member 45 and the rope or line Sil. Thus, when the horizontal member 45 is moved upwardly relative to the rope 50, the jaws will `open `and when the rope 50 is moved upwardly relative to the horizontal member 45, the jaws will close to grip an object in -a Kmanner to be described.

At the lower end portions of the larms 1li land 11 land particularly upon the inwardly extending projections 51 and 52 of the arms is pivoted a pair of jaws 55 `and 56. lt should be noted that this pivotal connection 57 is near or .adjacent the upper portion of the jaws. The jaws have mutually facing forward surfaces 5ta having distribute-d thereon a plurality of preferably pointed teeth 60t which function to engage the stone `61 or other lobject being lifted.

Four levers 62 and 63 tare pivoted at their lower ends t0 the lower rearward portions 65 and 66 of the jaws 55 and 56. These levers extend upwardly to :a pivotal mounting upon a horizontal shaft 7d 'and 71 on each side of the device. Each of the shafts 7l) and 71 is carried and pivotally secured to a pair of links 72 and 73 also on each side of the device, these links being pivotally mounted upon horizontal rods and 76 fixed to and extending between the arms 10 and the arms 11, respectively, and having spacer sleeves 79 received thereon for suitably spacing the links. These horizontal rods 75 and 76 with 3 their spacer sleeves function as stops for the upper endward portions 77 and 73 of the levers 62 and 63 in a manner to be described, it being noted that the upper ends of each set of levers are xedly linked by members 79A as illustrated.

Each of the shafts 76 and 71 has rotatably mounted thereon a pair of pulleys Sil and 31 and a spacing and guiding arrangement 82 and 83. Each .spacing and guiding arrangement includes la plurality of separators 85 rotatably mounted upon the respective shaft '76 or 7l and a plurality of spacers S6, all of which is fixed together by a bolt 87. Each shaft 70 and 71 also pivotally mounts one end of a connecting rod 90 and 91, the inward ends of the connecting rods '96 and 91 being pivotally linked by elements 92 and 93 to a block 95 which provides a rotatable mounting for pulleys 96 and 97.

The block 95 comprises a front plate ldd, a rear plate 101 and au intermediate plate 162, and -a plurality of spacers 163 all of which is fixed together by suitable bolts extending through the plates and the spacers, said Ibolts also mounting the links 92 and 93. The pulleys 96 and 97 are rotatable upon a suitable rod 105' xed to the block and extendinT through the plates thereof.

As mentioned, upward movement of the bight 106 of the line 50 causes the jaws to be moved together. The line 50 extends from the bight 106 over pulleys 16 and 17 downwardly and around pulleys '96 and 97, upwardly and around pulleys 1S and 1S, downwardly rand around pulleys 8G, rightwardly (as viewed in FIGS. l, 3 `and 5) and around pulleys 81, and back toward the pulleys Si) where the line dead ends at links 116 pivoted to the shaft 70. It will be `appreciated that upward force upon the bight 106 draws the block 95 toward the pivotal connection of the arms d@ .and lll and thus, tends to draw the Shafts 70 and '71 toward one another las a result of the movement of connecting rods 9) and 91. Upward movement of the bight `166 also causes the line 5@ to draw the pulleys 80 and 81 toward one another which also has the effect of drawing the shafts 7@ and .71 toward one another. Because of the `great mechanical advantage provided by the pulley arrangement, upward force on the bight is multiplied in the gripping -action of the jaws.

It will be remembered that the shafts 7d :and 71 are mounted upon the lower ends of links 72 land 7 3 and therefore, inward movement of these shafts also moves the intermediate portion of the levers 62 and 63 toward one another. The size and shape of the article grasped is the determining factor as to whether the upper levers ends 77 and 73 engage the stops.

Titus, the position -of the jaws is exible yand can adjust f to accommodate the shape of :an object to be lifted. 'I'he inward movement of the jaws is accomplished by a force exerted lby the levers 62 and 63 'against the lower rearward portion 65 and 66 of the jaws :as well as the force exerted through pivotal mountings 57. Because of the lforce 'at the lower ends 'of levers 62 and 63, `a force can be exerted against the object by the lower portion of the jaws even though the object has relatively small height. This :feature permits the device to pick up objects of little height. On the other hand, the illustrated structure might assume the operating position of FlG. 6 wherein the upper ends 77 and 78 of the levers are not in engagement with the `stops 75 and 76. In such a position, the arms 19 and 1-1 are, of course, stationary and the jaws 55 and 56 are stationary. The pulley arrangement and the connecting rods '96' and 91 exert lan inward force on the shafts 70 and 71 which tends to move those shafts inwardly. However, inward movement of the shafts is resisted by the toggle action of the links 72 and 73 and levers 62 and 63. Since the spacing of the pivotal connection of each lever (for example 62) with its jaw (55) and the pivotal connection of each link (72) with its arm (10) is constant (because these points are stationary), the force of the lever 62 and link 72 on the arm 16 and the jaw 55 is an inward force.- Of course, the yforce of the lever 62 on the lower end of the jaw is downward while the force of the link 72 'on the -arm 10 is upward.

Consequently, it can be seen that the function of the stops is to prevent the break through of the toggle action. In other words, the respective stops 7S and 76 engage the upper ends of the respective levers 62 and 63 only when the links 72 :and 73 tend to `align with the respective levers. Thus, the :shafts 7 il Iand 71 cannot pass a line drawn between the axis of rods 75 and 76 and the axis of pivotal connection of the respective levers 62 and 63 to the respective jaws.

The teeth 6) on the lfaces of the jaws function to engage the block of stone or other object and to prevent slipping thereof. It will be appreciated that if the object has relatively great weight, it will merely increase the force acting upon the line 50 and thus, increase the clamping .action upon the object to prevent slipping thereof from between the jaws. Thus, the clamping action Iof the jaws will be substantially greater than the weight of the object because of the mechanical advantage of the pulley arrangement. As has been mentioned above, both the horizontal bar 45 and the line `Stil should be supported from Vabove and clamping or separating of the jaws controlled by the relative amount of force exerted through the line and the horizontal bar.

if desired, the grapple of the present invention can be supported by :a fderrick, crawler-type or rubber-tired mobile crane, bridge crane, lgantry crane or any type of such device, an example y115 of which is illustrated in FIG. 5.

From the above description, it will be 4obvious that the present invention provides a ,grapple suitable for use in lifting large blocks of stone such las, for example, in quarrying operations. It will :also be clear that the present device makes e-asier, quicker land less expensive the moving of stone from the quarry in that, yfor example, a man is not needed to adjust and position the grapple. lt will also be obvious that the present invention provides a structure capable of exerting an intense gripping action and a gripping action at the .bottom of the jaws even through the object vbeing lifted is of relatively short height.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative land not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired t-o be protected.

The invention claimed is:

l. A grapple comprising a pair lof pivotally connected, outwardly and 4downwardly extending arms, a pair of jaws having mutually facing forward surfaces, each of said jaws pivoted at its upper rearward portion to the lower end of -a respective ar-m, a pair of levers each having a lower end pivoted to the lower rearward portion of a respective jaw `and extending upwardly therefrom, ra pair of stops each secured to an intermediate portion of a respective arm, a pair of links each pivoted at an upper end to a respective stop and at a lower end to a respective lever -at an intermediate portion thereof, means for moving the pivotal connections of said links and levers toward one another, e-ach lof said levers having an upwardly extending endward portion adapted to engagea respective stop upon the movement toward one another of said link and lever connections for exerting van inward force upon the lower portion of said jaws, and means for separating said arms.

2. The grapple of claim l in which said means for separating said arms comprises: a pair of connecting rods each pivoted to one of said arms interrnediately thereof and extending from the arms downwardly tovva-rd one another, a linking element connecting the lower ends of said connecting rods, a vertical element fixed to said linking element and extending upwardly past the pivotal connection of said arms, and means connected .to said vertical element for supporting the grapple.

3. A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected, outwardly and downwardly extending arms, each of said arms having an linwardly extending projection at its lower end, a pair of jaws having mutually facing forward surfaces, a plurality of teeth extending from said surfaces, each of said jaws pivoted at its upper end to a respective projection of said arms, a pair of levers each having a lower end pivoted to the lower Irearward portion of a 4respective jaw and extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of stops each secured to an `intermediate portion of a respective arm, a pair of links each pivoted at an upper end to a respective stop and at a lower yend to a respective lever at an intermediate portion thereof, means yfor mo-ving the pivotal connections of said links and levers toward one another, each of said levers having an upwardly extending endward portion adapted to engage a respective stop upon the movement toward one another of said link and lever connections for exerting an inward force upon the lower portion of said jaws, and means for separating said arms.

4. A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected, outwardly and 'downwardly extending arms, each of said arms having an inwardly extending projection at its lower end, a pair of jaws having mutually facing forward surfaces, a plurality of teeth extending from said surfaces, each of said jaws pivoted at its upper end to a respective projection of said arms, a pair of levers each having a lower end pivoted to the lower rearward portion of a respective jaw Iand extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of stops each secured to an intermediate portion of a respective arm, a pair of links each pivoted at an upper end to a respective stop and at a lower end to a respective lever at an intermediate portion thereof, each of said levers having an upwardly extending endward portion adapted to engage a respective stop, a pair of rst pulleys each rotatably carried by a respective one of said arms at the pivotal connections of said linksand levers, second and third pulleys independently rotatably mounted at the pivotal connection` of said arms, a block, a fourth pulley rotatably mounted on said block, a pair off connecting rods pivoted to said block and extending oppositely and downwardly therefrom, said connecting rods being pivoted at their lower ends to said levers and links at the pivotal connections of said levers and links, a line extending downwardly over said second pulley around said fourth pulley upwardly to and around said third pulley,

6 around one of said rst pulleys, then around the other of said first pulleys, then back to a link with the pivotal connection associated with said one first pulley whereby said jaws are drawn together by an upward force on said line.

5. A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected, outwardly and downwardly extending arms, a pair of jaws each mounted at the lower end of one of said arms, a pair of first pulleys each carried by a respective one of said arms intermediate of the length thereof, second and third pulleys independently rotatably mounted at the pivotal connection of said ams, a block, a fourth pulley rotatably mounted on said block, a pair of connecting rods pivoted to said block and extending oppositely and downwardly therefrom, said connecting rods being pivotally linked at their extending ends to said arms intermediate of the length thereof, a line passing downwardly over said second pulley around said fourth pulley upwardly to and around said third pulley, around one of said first pulleys, then around t-he other of said rst pulleys, then back to a connection with the arm associ ated said one rst pulley whereby said jaws may be drawn together by an upward force on said line.

6. A grapple comprising a pair of pivotally connected, outwardly and downwardly extending arms, a pair of jaws having mutually facing forward surfaces, each of said jaws pivoted at its upper rearward portion to the lower end of a respective arm, a pair of levers each having a lower end pivoted to the lower rearward portion of a respective jaw and extending upwardly therefrom, a pair o-f stops each secured to an intermediate portion of a respective arm, a pair of links each pivoted at an upper end to an intermediate portion of each respective arm and at a lower end to a respective lever at an intermediate portion thereof, means -for moving the pivotal connections of said links and levers toward one another, each of said levers having an upwardly extending endward portion adapted to engage a respective stop only when the links are in substantial alignment with the levers, and means for separating said arms.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8618,12() Peterson Oct. l5, 1907 1,145,220y Smith July 6i, 1915 1,171,393` Morris Feb. 8, 1916 2,452,452 Girnus Oct. 26, 1948 2,761,727 Moore Sept. 4, 1956 

1. A GRAPPLE COMPRISING A PAIR OF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED, OUTWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING ARMS, A PAIR OF JAWS HAVING MUTUALLY FACING FORWARD SURFACES, EACH OF SAID JAWS PIVOTED AT ITS UPPER REARWARD PORTION TO THE LOWER END OF A RESPECTIVE ARM, A PAIR OF LEVERS EACH HAVING A LOWER END PIVOTED TO THE LOWER REARWARD PORTION OF A RESPECTIVE JAW AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, A PAIR OF STOPS EACH SECURED TO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF A RESPECTIVE ARM, A PAIR OF LINKS EACH PIVOTED AT AN UPPER END TO A RESPECTIVE STOP AND AT A LOWER END TO A RESPECTIVE LEVER AT AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, MEANS FOR MOVING THE PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS OF SAID LINKS AND LEVERS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, EACH OF SAID LEVERS HAVING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING ENDWARD PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A RESPECTIVE STOP UPON THE MOVEMENT TOWARD ONE ANOTHER OF SAID LINK AND LEVER CONNECTIONS FOR EXERTING AN INWARD FORCE UPON THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID JAWS, AND MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID ARMS. 